1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to toy missiles which are launched by whirling the missile and then releasing it to let the missile fly, and more particularly to a toy missile formed by an inflated globular head from whose rear pole extends a streamer held thereto by a tail.
2. Status of Prior Art
The typical inflatable beach ball of the type in use at outdoor swimming pools and beaches is made from polyvinyl film material, the ball being provided with a valved air inlet so that it can be inflated by mouth. Such thin-skinned beach balls are relatively very light in relation to their surface area. As a consequence, the typical light-weight beach ball offers a much greater surface area to air than smaller balls, and little resistance to wind deflection, so that the ball cannot be thrown very far. And on a windy day, it is almost impossible to play with a beach ball.
My prior U.S. Pat. No. (Spector) 4,834,352, discloses a pneumatic play ball having an outer casing formed of non-stretchable material which when fully expanded assumes a ball configuration. Within the casing is an inflatable balloon whose neck initially projects through a small port in the casing. When the balloon is inflated, it expands to engage and conform to the inner surface of the casing, after which the neck is tied and pushed within the port whereby the balloon is then fully encased. While a ball of the type disclosed in my prior '352 patent has distinct advantages over conventional beach balls, it is still lacking in weight and subject to wind deflection.
To overcome this drawback, my prior U.S. Pat. No. (Spector) 4,917,381 discloses a variable weight play ball in which weight is imparted therto by a layer of water which is uniformly and symmetrically distributed throughout the ball regardless of the thickness of the layer, whereby the play characteristics of the ball are comparable to those of conventional heavy balls of high quality.
My prior U.S. Pat. No. (Spector) 5,288,261 discloses a figurative toy missile in animal-like or humanoid form defined by a head and a torso having appendages extending therefrom. The missile structure is such that when the missile is thrown by a player, it will spin, or execute other excursions in flight, depending on how the appendages are grasped by the player. The torso is formed by an outer fabric casing enclosing a rubber balloon inflated with water, whereby the torso functions a weighted ball.
The concern of the present invention is with a toy missile having a hollow globular head created by a balloon inflated within a collapsible casing.